IUCN status: Endangered
EPBC Predator Threat Rating: Very high
IUCN claim: “The introduction of the predatory Red Fox and feral cats has had a profound impact and continues to be a major threat today (Friend 2008).”
Cats were among predators of reintroduced numbats (Friend & Thomas 1994). Numbats were last confirmed in western NSW, northwest SA, the Goldfields and central deserts 15-65, 35-84, 35-55 and 55-94 years after cats arrived, respectively; and they were last confirmed in the Wheatbelt (two records) 75-144 years after cats arrived (Current submission).
Numbats were last confirmed in Adelaide 9 years before, to 11 years after, cats arrived (Current submission).
There are no studies linking cats to numbat population trends. In one
region it cannot be verified that extirpation occurred after cat
arrival, and the two species possibly co-occurred for over a century
across the Wheatbelt, WA.
Abbott, The spread of the cat, Felis catus, in Australia: re-examination of the current conceptual model with additional information. Conservation Science Western Australia 7 (2008).
Current submission (2023) Scant evidence that introduced predators cause extinctions.
EPBC. (2015) Threat Abatement Plan for Predation by Feral Cats. Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, Department of Environment, Government of Australia. (Table A1).
Friend, J.A. and Thomas, N.D., 1994. Reintroduction and the numbat recovery programme. Reintroduction Biology of Australian and New Zealand Fauna’.(Ed. M. Serena.) pp, pp.189-198.
IUCN Red List. https://www.iucnredlist.org/ Accessed June 2023